Hot and Cold
by WriteRight23
Summary: Bella Swan never saw herself as extraordinary. She was extra because she felt like a spare unused part and utterly ordinary. Until she met Edward. Please Review! Thanks so much! :
1. Chapter 1

_*I own none of the locations or are all the genius of Meyer but this is what severe insomnia does to me. Hope you guys enjoy it! :D_

* * *

There were the perfect Phoenix girls- the unblemished beautiful ones who made lads stop and stare when they passed by and other girls look down at themselves and automatically reassess what they thought of themselves.

Then you had the girls like me, I was one of the ones who looked down and reassessed their view of themselves. There was hot and there was me- Ordinary, plain, pale and slightly awkward. I didn't wear clothes, clothes wore me. I wouldn't be missed if I fell into a hole. Knowing my luck, I would definitely fall into a hole.

That is why this whole thing made no sense to me. I didn't get why a guy who looked like Edward Cullen was staring at me like this. His eyes were boring into mine, like he was looking beyond their dirty, mudpie depths and straight into the big empty void that was my mind. He was piercing me with his gaze and I felt my heartbeat quicken. My palms grew sweaty so I rubbed them against my top forgetting that I had some ink from my inky black pain on my palm. I had gripped the pen so hard in astonishment at the fact that Edward was talking to me again, to me Bella Swan that I had rivers of black pen etched into my hand. As I rubbed it gently against the grey cotton, I looked down and swore loudly "Damn it" as I saw my grey t-shirt had a mark on it just under the natural line my breasts made in my top. Without my permission my eyes flicked onto Edward's face, that goddamn perfect face of his-those top notch cheekbones, hair that must take him hours but looked so naturally perfect and purposefully rugged and those eyes that baffled me, entranced me sure but made me question my usually perfect 20 20 vision, and saw that his eyes had flicked onto me, his eyebrows cocked in my direction as I uttered my profanity. My cheeks coloured as I saw his eyes flick downwards onto the mark on my t-shirt and my stomach did a huge somersault as his eyes seemed to rest upon the area for far too long and a bit too North of where the mark was. Oh my f**king god was Edward Cullen looking at my boobs? The thought was enough to send my heartbeat into overdrive. He seemed to jerk a little in his seat, he coughed a little and directed himself so he stared directly at our teacher and no one else. I looked at his side profile, still revelling at the hotness of his face before following his example and listening to our teacher drone on about the difference between whitefish blastula and onions for our lab.

* * *

My hand reached to grab the slide with the intent of pushing it onto the microscope shelf when I felt a hand stall mine. The touch was frigid but that is not what made me shiver. I shivered at the way his fingers moulded to mine perfectly and the way the weight made my hand feel complete. It fit like a glove. I felt myself bite my lip to suppress a gasp because I did not want him to know that his touch made me nervous. To tell the truth every single thing about him made me nervous, even the way he said my name, or maybe it was just the way his lips moved when he said it but I was so uneasy around him. Usually boys held no interest for me, but Edward, he was different. In every sense of the word.

I looked up at him, at the way he quickly met my eyes, shifting them away from where his hand still lay on mine and instead of dropping my eyes I met his stare hoping to steal some of the intensity his were boring into mine. It was his turn to suppress a gasp as he shifted his hand but I could still feel the weight of it on mine. For once he lost in our staring competiton as he dropped his eyes. I shook my head a little as I resumed my efforts to slide the slide onto the shelf. I heard Edward mutter something too quiet for my ears and once again, he stalled my hand, pushing it away from the microscope so the slide slid from my clammy fingers and clattered onto the desk. I looked over at him baffled. "What?" My voice contained an edge of derision I hadnt intended and for some reason this made him smirk.

"I didnt know you were so engrossed in this lab!" He smiled that crooked smile of his, the likes I had only seen on his face, so beautiful, that I momentarily had to shake my head like a dog shaking water from its coat. "What gave you that idea?" I uttered, feeling slightly winded though I hadnt been hit or anything, only hit with an urge so powerful to kiss him. It shocked me, I usually had self control of a lifetime pioneer!

His smile grew wider, somehow and he pointed at my binder. "You didnt take any notes!"

"So?"

"Usually when you're interested in something you take notes!" His face seemed to pale a little as he realised he had said too much, as he dropped his eyes momentarily before snapping them back up to meet my probing ones. Had Edward Cullen just admitted that he had been watching me? Bella Swan? It seemed so goddamn impossible.

"I've done this before, I was mostly doing it for your benefit!" This made him laugh as he scoffed gently. "In that case..." He pulled our answer sheet towards him and proceeded to fill it in rapidly, his elegant scrip appearing on the page with lightening speed. I watched him scrowl all the phases-metaphase, prophase until it was full and he looked back at me, a smile so exulted and devilish on his face. "Done!" He whispered, sliding the page over in front of me. "Don't say I never gave you anything!" He laughed then, a sound like a choir of angels.

"Not that I dont like a bit of science or anything but can I ask something instead?" I whispered, my voice shaking a little but coming out stronger than I would have thought.

His smile disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared as he stared at me cautiously. "Depends!" He pronounced cautiously.

"It's not bad I promise!" I reached over and touched his arm and registered how bulky it was underneath my fingertips. I quashed a grin internally as I felt the muscles. I had suspcted as much in fairness. How could one seventeen year old guy be so damn perfect?

His smile reappeared as he slid his arm from under mine but leaned in instead. "Bella" (the way he said my name was like a caress) "I know nothing bad could ever come from your mouth!" He stared at my mouth for a minute as I willed him to kiss it, damn I wanted him to kiss it! Then again when did I ever get what I wanted? I had wanted to be tanned and tall like the rest of the girls in Phoenix but apparently my father's Fork's roots had dominated through and through.

"Does that mean I can ask?" I asked, feeling liberated with his permission.

"I can't deny you Bella!" He said, his voice thick with something I couldnt pinpoint. My heartbeat quickened and I was amazed it wasnt straining out of my chest for Edward to see.

"Why are you so hot and cold around me?" I whispered, my voice shaking with nerves as I saw a shadow pass across his face before he turned his frown upside down. "If you mean temperature wise it is because this school can never decide if it is a solarium or a frigidarium!" He smirked, his eyes tight behind his humour.

"Edward?" I groaned, tilting my head at him.

"Bella!" He copied me, his voice thick with sarcasm and playful indignation.

"I didnt expect you to tell me. Why am I not surprised?" I couldnt help some of the hurt I felt sliding into my voice. I hadnt expected Edward to be honest with me. That would require him to care enough to share with me and I was just a lab partner to him. That was all and why had I expected any different. I shook my head sadly and looked down at the desk, at where some deviant student had carved "I l 3 M.N" into the wood and tippexed over it and I ran my fingers over the bumps. I guessed that this M.N. had been unrequited love or else it would be told to M.N.'s face and not carved into a block of Teak. It looked like I would only ever get to write "I 3 E.C" on a table as I would never get the chance to say it to his face, that would require him to give a shit about me!

* * *

_Please leave a review guys and as always be honest. Your opinions mean a lot! Cheers! :D_


	2. Chapter 2

_*Thanks for your reviews on the first bit guys, they were definitely encouraging.

* * *

_

I was pissed off. No bugger that I was more than pissed off. I was furious. Sure this surprised me as usually I was the epitome of calm and level headed. I know it showed too as my hands were balled into tight fists so you couldn't tell where my knuckles ended and my fingers began. I knew he noticed as his eyes flickered down once or twice to look at my stance and each time I saw him inhale and his face fall just a little. Good! Let his face fall, I hope he felt guilty because of my agitation. He knew well he was the reason behind it. Of all the lab partners I had to get stuck with I got the hot annoying bugger of a one.

I wasn't really agitated with him so much as with myself. I mean, who was I kidding? I had turned into one of those girls who imagine the most improbable things that were never going to happen. I was in that same league as a normal geeky girl fawning over the head jock or the science club boy in awe of the head cheerleader. People like Edward, who looked like Edward and me, little old me, just didn't go together. Maybe each time he said something to me I felt a startling intensity I couldn't pinpoint but it was more likely to be agitation on his part that his lab partner wasn't better looking!

"Bella?" He breathed at me, his breath wafting over me a little as he moved closer to my ear so Mr. Banner wouldn't throw a reproachful glance in his direction. I could feel him so close to my body now that it was like all my nerve endings were on fire but before I could turn and face him and be all "O god he's so hot, I can't help but talk to him" again I looked at my desk resolutely. I was annoyed at him and fawning over him wasn't the answer.

"Bella, come on!" His voice held a growl as he whispered once more. He shifted his seat over fractionally so he was even closer to me, so close that his thigh brushed against mine gently. Even that lightest touch was enough to send a tingle down my spine. He reached his hand up hesitantly and brushed a lock of hair back from my shoulder, his strong fingers sweeping it back so now my hair couldn't be an excuse as to why I couldn't hear him. I could hear him just fine but I had left it there as a barrier to his perfect face. Now I could see his profile perfectly and it wasn't doing anything for my clarity. I saw him trying to catch my eye but still I looked resolutely at a dent in the desk. I wasn't giving in.

He let out a little sigh, a perfect doh sound and shook his head fractionally. He stared at the front of the classroom for a minute before looking at me again. From the corner of my eye I saw his eyes were tight and his mouth pressed into a hard line. He was frustrated and I felt my stomach turn a little. I hated making people feel anything like bad but my sympathy was miniscule, I had been made feel bad like this enough.

* * *

"Okay guys, you can finish up! Put all the slides back into the box! Thanking you!" Mr Banner droned from the top of the classroom. I scooped up the one slide that had made it out of the box and chucked it in dismissively. I scooped up my books from the table, throwing them in a heap into my bag so they clattered against whatever rubbish was residing at the bottom. The class filed out talking animatedly about the new movie release or how hard that lab had been and as I reached up to grab my last book from the table I saw it move away, be pulled away by a white hand. I froze as I noticed Edward was still there beside me. Usually he was one of the first to leave the room.

"You know you're going to have to talk to me one day!" He uttered, his face set resolute and calm.

"Ya I'm going with the one day in the distant future and not today!" I snapped a little as I let out a little sigh. This seemed to entertain him as his face stayed calm and he raised an eyebrow at me. His hand stayed planted on my book.

I reached over to snag it from his grasp but more quickly than one would think possible he shot it out of my reach to his end of the table. He grinned, a big wide condescending grin that enraged me. "Can I have my book back please?" I looked at him, sending him the most venemous look I could muster. He was so irritating.

"Will you stride out of here as quickly as I know you want to if I do?" He challenged, still smirking.

"If it gets me away from you!" I countered, seeing how this made his eyes flash. O shit had that been a little harsh?

"Ouch Bella! That hurt!" He rubbed his chest but I was relieved to see his face was mocking. Damn it was one of the hottest sights I had ever seen. I watched as his t-shirt ruched as he rubbed his chest and saw the way the material stretched revealing the hintings of a scintillating chest. O good lord... I snapped my eyes back quickly.

"Fine. Keep it, I'm sure you need it more than I do!" I snapped again and turned to walk away. I swept my bag onto my shoulder and made for the door.

"Bella seriously!" I heard footfalls behind me and a hand rest on my shoulder, stalling me. His hand on my shoulderblade made my stomach ache at his touch. "Not that you aren't ace with the compliments and all that but look about what you asked earlier?"

"So you're going to answer now?" I snapped once more, my voice sharper than I had intended it to be as I whipped around.

"I want to but.." He answered unsure, his eyes tightening.

I growled in frustration and looked him straight in the eyes, taking a deep breath in "Will you ever make up your mind please? This hot and cold thing you do, it's exhausting Edward!" My voice grew meek as I uttered the last words and I saw his eyes flash to my face as his face tightened in response.

"Okay!" He whispered, his voice uncharacteristically scared and weak. He looked at the ground.

"Okay what?" My voice went low in response to the way his body seemed to have become all desolate and small. My body moved closer to his in response as my hand went to touch him, anyway it could.

"I'll tell you but when you run away in response dont say I didnt warn you Bella!" He met my eyes now and his were fervent with an ancient sadness that I couldnt pinpoint.

I touched him on the shoulder gently and whispered. "I couldnt run away from you Edward!"

His eyes glowed for a minute until they sagged again. He put his hand on mine for a minute before shrugging out from underneath my touch. "We'll see!" He met my eyes once more before sweeping out past me and through the door.

My knees sagged for a minute as I leaned against the wall breathless.

Whatever this thing that Edward and I had was called, it was all going to come to a head soon and I didnt know what that meant. It was make or break time.

I had never wanted make time so badly in my life.

* * *

_*As always tell me what you guys think, this was supposed to be a small one part thing but as usual my brain is overrun with ideas and I couldnt say no! Cheers! :D_


	3. Chapter 3

_*This is the last part I think. Has totally gone out of hand but I hope you enjoyed it anyway everyone. Would really appreciate your input and please please tell me what you think. This is my first fanfic so all opinions are taken on board! Cheers guys and hope you enjoy it! :D_

* * *

P.E. never stopped being hellish even after getting used to it a bit. Sure I had people who backed me up so I never really had to do anything but I always got in the way. It was like the ball was attracted to me, like a dog to fear, like it knew that I didn't want it anywhere near me. Today was simply horrific. It was like I had a magnet on me and that hockey puck was made of metal. It just flew at me from everyone and everything. I must have got hit in the head about fifty times, front side of my head, back of it, ears, sides, it was just thud after thud. Mike tried to be my protector hitting the ball to the opposite side every time but it was fruitless. I slouched off the court feeling like everyone's eyes were appraising me or giving out about me. I actually wasn't that bad, not too bad that I always got hurt but today my head was all over the place. It was full of him, all my thoughts were Edward. Every movement, every second, was a step closer to finding out. I didn't notice the thuds; they were just things to snap me out of thinking of him, his perfection until I was able to slip back into my fantasies.

I changed back out of my P.E. gear and back into clothes I felt more comfortable in. Sure P.E. had been last class and people went home in their gear but I found them unflattering. The pants emphasised my butt. I threw the straps over my shoulders, pulled the hair from out of the collar of my jumper and made sure my lacers were tied. Just what I needed, to fall into the mud like!

Would he be waiting for me by my car? Would he be outside the gym? Where would Edward be? My heart was in my mouth as I stepped outside the brick gymnasium and looked around hopefully. My hopes were dashed. I didn't see any pale perfect Adonis waiting for me anywhere. I shook my head and swallowed back tears. Why was I surprised? Honestly? I wanted to know now, I wanted to know what was going on in his head!

The door of my red chevy clattered open loudly, grating and banging and I didn't care who looked over. I didn't care about anything but the vacated spot where his shiny Volvo usually resided. He was gone and I was left answerless. He had all but made a run for it to avoid me obviously. My bag clunked as it ricocheted off the other door of the van as I made myself comfy and turned the keys in the ignition. The truck roared to life, deafening me but for once it was soothing, it sounded like how I should sound at the moment; roaring, angry, defeated and tired. The whole way home I thought of how his face had looked when he left the biology classroom. He had looked scared and tentative, like he was admitting a weakness, an illness.

It had so obviously been for show.

* * *

I turned the corner into my house and saw a car in the driveway. It wasn't Charlie's cruiser and the sight of it made my breath catch. A silver Volvo so shiny I could almost see my car thundering towards it in its reflection, was pulled in, the suns foetal light beaming off it. My breath quickened and my palms grew slick around the wheel. I left my bag where it was as the engine died. I opened the door and stepped down cautiously making sure not to fall on my ass like the clumsy tool I was. That would be embarrassing.

He was sitting on my doorway, the white of the porch blending with his skin tone almost perfectly. However the porch looked shabby next to his perfect, smooth, undulating body. He looked at me cautiously as I plodded towards him. "Hi." I mumbled shyly, was he really on my doorstep?

"Hi..." he answered just as shyly, his hands intertwined on his lap.

"Stalker much?" I answered as I put my key in the door and looked down at him as his head tilted to look at me. His face broke into his glorious smile.

"I think everyone in town knows where good Chief Swan lives. Makes sense you live with him too right!" He joked, his voice thick with mocking and fun. I was glad the vulnerability from earlier had disappeared. I smiled a little in response. "I suppose you get away with that one!"

The door opened and I took a step to go in before biting my lip "Well you coming in or what or did you come here to test my steps?" I smirked as I saw him stand up gingerly and look at me pressingly. He followed me in cautiously and closed the door with his foot as he came into the kitchen after me. I went to the cupboard, nabbed a granola and leant against the cabinets casually as he stood at the door in a slight shadow, his eyes sparkling from there. "Nice house!" He declared as he stepped into the light and looked around.

OH MY FREAKING GOD, Edward Cullen was in my kitchen!

"It does the job!" I pronounced as I smiled at him casually. His eyes now burrowed into mine, seeking something in their chocolate depths.

He said "Bella..." at the same time as I uttered "Edward" and we both smiled at the other. "You go first!" He indicated as he moved his hand at me. I bit my lip as I was nervous now. I had resigned myself to the fact that he had gone home and I would have to wait until tomorrow. Usually if I had notice for something I thought about it all in my head and planned out what I was going to say, now I felt like I was going in blind. "I didn't know when you planned to talk to me and then I saw your space empty in the lot, I was disappointed, I thought you had blown me off." I muttered sadly and looked at him. He looked at me intensely and I could see he had put up a slight wall, blocking me out a little.

"I had to drop my family home first, I figured they wouldn't want to be around for this!" He shrugged casually.

"Around for what exactly Edward?" I replied, a hint of exasperation slipping into my voice.

"I don't know what this is Bella, I don't! I have never been so blind to anything in my life and I hate it!" He exclaimed, his voice growing distraught. "Usually I can analyze things so easily but with you I'm blind." His voice was agonised.

"I don't understand!" I moved over so I was standing in front of him with him looking down on me. "Edward please?" He still looked agonised.

"I can hear people's thoughts Bella, every single persons but yours. I can usually tell what people are thinking but with you I hear nothing. I want to know what you think." He was struck by a bout of word vomit suddenly as this all spilled out of him.

I stared at him for a second, slightly shocked but then again was I really shocked? I had always known he was different. "Want to know what I think about what?" I looked up at him begging him to meet my eyes. He stayed silent for a minute and then be bit his lip gently. "I want to know, I want to know what you think about me because Bella, I know what I think about you, I am more sure of it than anything."

He finally looked at me, drilling me with his ocher eyes as he whispered. "Please Bella, tell me!"

I was shocked, I hadn't expected anything like this, I hadn't expected that Edward would bring us along this path. It was sudden and unexpected but I knew perfectly what being around Edward made me feel. He made my body tick and my heart race, he made me feel just as special as everyone else. I knew I was plain but being around him, him looking at me the way he sometimes did, made me feel less ordinary. This however didn't change the reality. "Edward it doesn't matter what I feel for you, I know it is never going to happen. You're this flawless guy and you're extraordinary, and I'm me, plain old Isabella Swan. It's just fantastical dreaming." I turned away and my voice was thick with resignation and sadness. I couldn't look at him.

"Bella, that is the biggest pile of crap I have ever heard and I can read minds. I've heard all kinds of rubbish!" He joked, but underneath his voice was serious. "You're amazing. People shy away from us, thinking we're scary and intimidating and for your safety I wish you would to but I can't push you away. It would hurt too much because I like having you around. It makes me feel normal and right."He said this to my back but I felt him move up behind me. "I want you around."

I turned around and looked at him, at the way his eyes looked at me like I was the only person he could see and I believed him. It was so impossible to believe but I knew there was a reason he was here. I looked at him with my brown eyes hoping that words would come as I looked at his face but I was struck dumb at the sight. My hand dangled by my side and I felt Edward hesitate before moving his hand down to grasp it, interlocking each finger with mine one at a time very slowly like he thought that simultaneously would break them. His hand was a few degrees colder than mine but not by much, I always ran a few degrees colder than normal people. I looked at our hands for a minute and I smiled tentatively at the sight.

"I'm hot and cold with you because cold is safe and being hot with you is dangerous. I might hurt you Bella and the thought is more than I can comprehend." He whispered in front of me.

"Edward everything is dangerous-driving a car, flying, lighting a fire, everything is but people still do it and don't shy away. Don't shy away from me Edward please." I urged, my voice growing pleading as I tried to regulate it.

"If I hurt you..." He mumbled.

"You wont!"

"I could!"

"I trust you!"

"You shouldn't!"

"Well I do. What are you going to do about it?" I put my free hand on my hip and stared at him. His eyes flickered upwards to mine as he registered my dulcet tone. I stepped in front of him so his glorious face was a few inches from mine. I could taste the scent of his aftershave on my tongue as I stared at him. I dropped the hand he was holding cautiously and put the other one on the plains of his abdomen. I felt his body quiver at the touch. "Bella..." His voice was weak and shaky and very uncharacteristic of him.

"Edward!" I whispered as I leaned up on my tippy toes so my lips were level with his almost. "Does this feel dangerous? Like you're gonna crash or something?" I uttered as I heard his breath stutter a little.

I looked up to see his eyes boring into mine and I don't know what he saw there but the next minute he pressed his lips to mine very gently, like a butterfly's wing brushing against them, so brief it was hard to comprehend they had been his at all before he pressed them against mine one more time a bit fiercer. They felt amazing and I felt his hand wind around my waist pulling me up so I could kiss him easier. The kiss deepened as his lips seemed to loosen before he pulled back and looked at me, his eyes fierce and bright and then he smiled that breathtaking smile at me. He pressed his forehead against mine and whispered one word. "Wow!". It seemed to sum it all up in one word and I couldn't stop from grinning either like a cat who had just got the cream, the gorgeous breathtaking yummy cream.

"If that was a crash, I bought a car with airbags for nothing!" He whispered as he ducked his head for another kiss.

* * *

*_Would really appreciate you guys taking one second just to tell me what you thought. Apologies if you found it slightly mushy at the end but please, one little word can really help me improve! Thanks you so much and hope you enjoyed it! :)_

_Thank you Stephenie Meyer for the inspiration!_


End file.
